Thursday, March 29, 2012

Branson Blast #8-Butterfly Palace Is Awesome!

When you think of Branson, I'm sure you think of the big attractions-Silver Dollar City, Dixie Stampede, and various shows. Well, let me tell you about a really amazing place that I only recently learned about. It's Butterfly Palace, and it is something you don't want to miss!

I received 4 complimentary wristbands so we were able to take a journey through Butterfly Palace. When you come almost to the end of Branson's main strip, you are greeted by a dome-topped building that sits on a hill. This is Butterfly Palace, and it's where we spent several fun-and-awe-filled hours!

We showed up right at opening time (9:00), and were greeted by a friendly young lady. She gave us our wristbands, and informed us that these granted us entry all day. So if we had to leave for lunch or something, we could get back in and finish our fun. The main hall also houses the gift shop, but we decided to leave that for last, and go find the butterflies first! On our way up, however, we did stop by the Banyan Bungee Adventure.

Once finished with that, we entered into a huge room that looked like a rainforest.

Right inside the door is a supply of safari hats, binoculars and magnifying glasses. M quickly availed herself of these tools, and looked like quite the little explorer!

I'm a little prejudiced, but I think she's the cutest explorer I've ever seen :)Once M was geared up, we started off...and didn't make it very far before everyone was oohing and aahhing! There were literally hundreds of butterflies flying around, resting on the ground or in bushes, or eating at one of the many feeders scattered throughout. I have honestly never seen anything like it. The beauty of these butterflies was astounding! So many varieties, colors and sizes!Here are just a few of my favorite pictures from the day.

This butterfly stayed on M's hat for almost 45 minutes as we walked!

It's a little blurry, but these blue-winged butterflies were gorgeous!

The other M got a new friend too!

Love the almost neon-look of the colorful wings.

Along the route there are several benches if you'd like to just sit down and enjoy the beautiful butterflies. Of course, this meant picture time too!

What interesting creatures M discovered!

M and I posed for shot

It took us a couple hours to get through this area, simply because everyone kept pointing out another butterfly that caught their attention! Once we had finished, we wandered back downstairs to the Emerald Forest Mirror Maze. Although the butterflies were my favorite part, I think M almost enjoyed the mirror maze more-she went through it at least 5 times!

Ready to get lost?

Just how many M's were in the maze?!

Picture in the mirror :)

As I said, M did this at least 5 times. When we finally pulled her away from it, we realized that we still had to visit the Living Rainforest Science Center. This is another really neat section, with various reptiles from the rainforest. My personal favorite was this gecko with orange around his eyes. He was so cute!

M also had the chance to electronically dissect a frog, which she thought was great.

The other M had fun watching one of the turtles eat, and he seemed to enjoy the attention.

After a quick stop in the gift shop for everyone to choose a souvenir, we headed out. Everyone talked excitedly about their favorite parts of Butterfly Palace, and we all agreed that it was even more fun than we thought it would be!

My recommendation for anyone who plans to visit the Branson area is "Be sure to visit Butterfly Palace"! It's fun for the whole family, and you won't regret it!

Disclaimer: I was not monetarily compensated in any way for this feature. I did receive complimentary admission for the purpose of review. I was not required to write favorably about Butterfly Palace; all thoughts and opinions are my own.